St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of April 7, 2014

Updated Tuesday, April 8

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For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's ArtsZipper site.

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Maryland Heights Community Theatre presents the Alice @ Wonderland Thursday and Sunday, April 10 and 13, at the Maryland Heights Centre, 2344 McKelvey Road. For more information, call 314-738-2599.

Lindenwood University presents Anna Karenina by Helen Edmonson, based on the novel by Tolstoy. Performances take place Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, April 10-13, in the black box theatre at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts on the Lindenwood campus in St. Charles, MO. "Anna Karenina, wife of Alexei Karenin, falls in love with Count Vronsky. When her husband refuses a divorce, the lovers run off together to Venice to escape the disapproval of Russian high society. But Vronsky is lured back to the old country by an offer of reinstatement in the military, and Anna must follow. There her tragic affair begins to unravel, in tandem with Anna's frail psyche. This classic story of love and betrayal isn't to be missed!" For more information, call 636-949-4433 or visit lindenwood.edu/center.

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents its Bullets in the Bathtub through April 27. The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com

Stray Dog Theatre presents Kander and Ebb's musical Cabaret Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through April 19. "The popular musical, based on British writer Christopher Isherwood’s semiautobiographical short novel Goodbye to Berlin, explores the decadence and seamy underbelly of 1930s Germany where beguiling, self-destructive chanteuse Sally Bowles lives with no thought for tomorrow. As the growing power of the Nazi’s Third Reich secretly begins to take hold, everything is thrown into disarray." Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents A Drama Studio Showcase on Thursday, April 10. The performance takes place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

Clinton County Showcase presents the drama Doubt through April 13 Performances take place at the Avon Theater, 525 North 2nd Street Breese IL. For more information, visit ccshowcase.com.

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Falling, written and directed by Deanna Jent. "Fresh from its off-Broadway run, Falling returns with the original St. Louis cast. The New York Post writes: "This heartfelt and nuanced family drama is shot through with dark humor. Falling soars!" While Falling explores hard truths within a family dealing specifically with autism, the story is really about loving someone who is hard to love." Performances take place April 11 - May 4 at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Flaming Saddles through April 27. The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

The Presenters Dolan present Taylor Pietz in If I Only Had a Brain on Thursday, April 10, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "People always see the perfectly put-together 'performer' side of me, but rarely do they see the unpolished and awkward side," says Taylor. "But tonight's the night. With songs highlighting the stumbles, falls, and life lessons of a perfectly imperfect artist." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Department of Theatre, Dance, and Media Arts at the University of Missouri at St. Louis presents The Laramie Project Thursday through Sunday, April 10-13. Performances take place at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus. For more information, visit touhill.org or call 314-516-4949.

The Hawthorne Players present Laughter on the 23rd Floor Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, through April 13. The performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 921-5678 or visit hawthorneplayers.com.

Photo: Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Michael Frayn's comedy Noises Off through April 13. “Disasters abound as a frantic, sleep-deprived touring company of actors rehearses and performs their fictional farce, Nothing On. Too many doors, too many sardines and not near enough time combine to create a riotously funny situation on and off stage for both cast and crew. Michael Frayn's intricately crafted mayhem is hailed as one of the greatest comedies ever written.” Performances take place on the mainstage at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

Photo: Joan Marcus

The Fox Theatre presents the musical Once April 8-20. "Winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards® including Best Musical, ONCE is a truly original Broadway experience. Featuring an impressive ensemble of actor/musicians who play their own instruments onstage, ONCE tells the enchanting tale of a Dublin street musician who's about to give up on his dream when a beautiful young woman takes a sudden interest in his haunting love songs. As the chemistry between them grows, his music soars to powerful new heights... but their unlikely connection turns out to be deeper and more complex than your everyday romance. Emotionally captivating and theatrically breathtaking, ONCE draws you in from the very first note and never lets go. It's an unforgettable story about going for your dreams... not living in fear... and the power of music to connect all of us. " The Fox Theatre is at 517 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley Theater Department presents Thornton Wilder's Our Town April 11-19. Performances take place in the Fisher Theatre on the campus at 3400 Pershall Road. For more information, call 314-644-5522.

Tesseract Theatre Company presents Taylor Gruenhoh's A Path Far From Here Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 4 PM, through April 13. "Things get a bit awkward when, after meeting Lisa on a sex website, Mark accidently gets trapped in an apartment with three women and a drag queen. With ecstacy and alcohol in his system Mark tries to understand the way the world moves around him. Lisa's mystery of a husband is possibly on his way, Anne was just fired for sleeping with her boss' brother, Flora was bitten at work today, and Cooper just wants to keep everyone calm, collected, and relatively unhurt. Injurious sex, misguided love, and experimental governmental drugs force this night off the rails. Each show will be preceded by a ten-minute curtain opener play, The Missouri Horror, by David Crespy." Performances take place at the Regional Arts Commission on Delmar, across from the Pageant. For more information: tesseracttheatre.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents cabaret singer Christy Simmons along with special guest vocalist Rosemary Watts in Playin' With the Boys on Tuesday, April 8, at 7:30 PM. Accompanying Ms. Simmons will be pianist and music director Joe Dreyer along with Dave Troncoso on bass and Clancy Newell on drums. Admission is free but "donations will be greatfully accepted." The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in Debaliviere Place. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

Photo: John Lamb

The West End Players Guild continues their 103rd season with Kate Fodor's Rx by Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, through April 13. “If there was a drug that could make your dreary job an exciting daily adventure, would you take it? If you did, would it make your life better or worse? And who would dream up such a thing in the first place? Answers to all those questions - liberally laced with laughter - will be found in Rx, the satirical romantic comedy by 2013 Guggenheim playwriting fellow Kate Fodor. The show takes a hilarious look at life, love and Big Pharma.” Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org. Read the 88.1 KDHX review!

The Presenters Dolan present Storm Large and Her Four-Piece Band in Taken by Storm: Songs of Seduction and Obsession on Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12, at 8 PM as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " A great singer, killer beauty and funny, fleshy truth teller, Storm has many lives. 1) She is a rock siren. 2) She fronts Pink Martini, a sophisticated pop symphony that tours all over the world. 3) She triumphed ("Sensational," said the NY Times) in a recent Brecht/Weil show at Carnegie Hall with Leonard Slatkin. 4) Best Selling Memoirist. She does it all supremely well. Very lucky to have her in St. Louis for the first time. Not to be missed. Definitely new key. With songs by Elvis Costello, Cole Porter, Willie Nelson, Cheap Trick, Olivia Newton-John and Storm Large." The performance takes place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Black Rep presents Wole Soyinka's The Trials of Brother Jero April 9 - 27. Performances take place at the Emerson Performance Center on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University. For more information: theblackrep.org

Metro Theater Company presents Unsorted by Wesley Middleton Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13, at noon. “Clothes are the characters in a playful world where everyone must be sorted, according to the bully-boss known as 'Jacket.' Separate and divided? No way! These mixety characters want to hang out with each other. Distinctly separate categories make no more sense to the clothes than they do in our world. But Jacket is in charge. The sorting must be done...or else!” Performances take place at Wydown Middle School's new theater in Clayton. For more information: metrotheatercompany.org

Family Musical Theater presents Victor/Victoria Thursday and Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, through April 13, at the Ivory Theatre, 7622 Michigan. For more information, visit familymusical.org or call 314-571-9579.

Over Due Theatre presents the Kaufman and Hart's You Can't Take it With You Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, through April 13. Performances take place at the Olivette Community Center, 9723 Grandview Drive, in Olivette, MO. For more information, call 314-210-2959 or visit overduetheatrecompany.com.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.